Causeway Coast and Glens among seven through to next stage of £9m football programme
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured at Blanchflower Stadium with Graham Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer at the Irish Football Association, and Jake and Leon from Ashfield Boys' High School.
Wednesday 30 September 2026
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is among seven applicants moving to the next stage of a £9 million programme to improve grassroots football facilities across Northern Ireland.
The seven were selected from 42 applications to the Northern Ireland Football Fund Grassroots Facilities Programme pilot, with five club or facility-led projects and two council-led projects progressing.
The decision brings the applicants closer to potential investment, but does not confirm funding awards. Each must now undergo checks on whether its project is legally and financially feasible.
Seven applicants move forward
The five club or facility-led applicants are Crewe United Football & Social Club, Colin Valley Football Club, Cookstown Youth FC, Dungiven Celtic Youth Football Club and NFC Kesh.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and Belfast City Council are the two council-led applicants proceeding to the checks. All applicants have been notified of the outcome.
The announcement names the applicants but does not identify the facilities covered by the council bids, describe the proposed works or set out individual funding amounts.
More opportunities to play
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons confirmed the next stage at an event at Blanchflower Stadium.
He said:
“These projects now have the potential to move forward and start turning ambition into reality. The facilities that come through this programme will create more opportunities to play, improve the quality of the football experience and provide infrastructure that can meet growing demand for years to come.”
The programme’s published objectives include increasing opportunities for women and girls, improving accessibility for disabled users and upgrading facilities to make them safe and inclusive. The pilot will also help shape the longer-term programme.
Checks before funding agreements
The Department for Communities will now engage with the seven applicants to carry out due diligence checks, examining the legal and financial feasibility of their proposals.
Programme information is available here.
Subject to those checks being completed successfully, the first projects could reach funding agreements before the end of 2026. For players and clubs hoping to benefit, that is the next milestone; the announcement does not yet confirm when work could begin.
